Assign a short story for your students to read, but do not provide them with the complete story. Leave out the conclusion and have students write their own ending. This activity enhances reading comprehension abilities since students are required to insert themselves in the narrative, engaging with characters and plots in a new way. Encouraging students to engage with their learning material builds comprehension and provides imaginative assignments. This activity can be tailored to most ages as long the story you assign suits the reading level of the group.
Read a story or book with your class. Ask students to bring in CDs with a song that contains lyrics that remind them of the theme or the characters of the narrative. Hand out lyric sheets for each of the songs and play them for the class. Hold a discussion where students discuss connections between the lyrics and the reading material. This activity encourages reading and listening comprehension and helps students recognize learning as a multimodal activity that affects all aspects of their lives. Involving students' music and personal interests causes them to further engage with what they are reading.
Present students with controversial reading material and encourage them to form stances on the issues discussed. For example, ask high school students to read Jonathon Swift's "A Modest Proposal." Host a debate in which some students argue for the proposal and others against it. They will exercise their comprehension skills as they complete the difficult task of defending or criticizing a satirical essay. Individuals on both sides of the debate will need to read with extreme care, enhancing their abilities to comprehend and think critically.
Provide students with copies of several archived newspapers from your area's past, available at most city libraries. Explain that they will be conducting a scavenger hunt in which they locate details about events, places and people. Hand out lists of items that students must find in their scavenger hunt. Clues can include, for example: "I started a restaurant in 1922. Today it's a resort and a casino too. Who am I?" To complete the game, students must pay close attention to detail, improving their reading comprehension. They will also learn to connect reading with real-life events.